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| Me, 1960, Army Basic Training Fort Dix, New Jersey |
I'm watching the Netflix series "Boots". It's about a young gay man who joins the Marines and his experiences at boot camp.
This morning I was brought to tears when I witnessed his experience with tear gas. Literally brought to tears because it reminded me of my own experience.
This whole show almost mirrors my experiences in Army basic training when I joined the army at eighteen years old in January of 1960. In fact those experiences are so uncanny I almost suspect a Hollywood script writer read some of my previous blog postings on this blog and inserted them into the story of this young gay man in this Netflix series "Boot Camp." Seriously.
Two nights ago there was a fire watch episode. That was my experience with a few minor changes. That's when I became convinced that this Hollywood script writer probably read my own basic training experiences. Now if there is an episode that comes. up with the hand grenade, I'm suing. Actually not, but then I will be convinced that I was the inspiration for this series. I'm serious.
4 comments:
#2
I’ll never forget the time the sterno flashed and hit me in the face—full tear gas exposure. I was dying, and the students were about to walk up. I had to pull myself together. Good times.
Boots nailed that emotional thread—the drill sergeant being gay, being found out, and watching a stellar career go up in smoke. That hit home. I was investigated once for being gay. A miserable first lieutenant who was sleeping with officer students knew I knew and tried to get me kicked out to cover himself. You try walking around base with someone following you everywhere. I had to confront him. Yes, I was gayer than a fruitcake, but unless he had photos, he needed to leave me alone. It worked—the investigation was dropped. My supervisor told me the lieutenant wanted to apologize and instructed me to just listen and say nothing. He apologized; I turned around and walked out. My colleagues knew I didn’t suffer fools, and they supported me through it. A Vietnam vet in our squadron told me he’d trust me in a foxhole over some of the idiots we worked with.
The young recruit in the show coming into his own—that moved me. I loved how the other recruits still supported him when they knew damn well he was gay. And the scene with his mother trying to derail his career? Powerful. Those two characters spoke to me. And the “fat kid”—what a turn of fate. I loved the applause he got when the others realized he was still in the program and still trying.
I’d love another season just to close things out. The sergeant’s actions were understandable, but he’ll still have to face the consequences. I’d love to see how the recruits adjust to military life and where their careers take them.
#1
I watched Boots, and I loved it.
For the most part, the film got things right. I compared it to what basic training was like for me in the Air Force. Yes, we stood fire watch. Yes, the drill sergeants yelled at us. But I don’t recall anyone turning our beds or lockers upside down. The fitness course wasn’t a big deal. I remember gripping that rope over a muddy ditch and being determined not to fall in. The rifle range was a hoot. The instructor came over and asked what I was shooting at—apparently, I was nailing my neighbor’s target instead of mine. There were some great shooters in the flight, especially the guys who grew up hunting on farms.
I do remember the drill instructor calling me into his office to ask my date of birth because something looked off. I repeated it, and he realized I was older than he was. I was 27. After that, he mostly left me alone. Every once in a while, he’d get in my face and scream, then give a little wink. I’m not sure if I “clocked gay,” but I did get teased for being older. There was one guy older than me—31—who was in the reserves and had to go through basic to go active duty. We were the “old men.” To me, it was just younger guys being younger guys, picking on the ones who didn’t fit their mold. No big deal.
And calling home for my mother? Please—half the guys were crying at night because they missed their girlfriends, wives, and mothers. We even had guys who didn’t know their shoe or clothing sizes. When we lined up for uniforms and had to rattle off our measurements, they were stumped. I hated the food because it was mostly burgers and pizza. Could we get some baked chicken or meatloaf? Basic was in San Antonio, so it was hot, even in winter. But we still had to down our water before every meal. I was 6'2" and about 175 pounds, so with all that activity and all that crappy food, I lost weight. They assigned people to make sure I ate. By the end, I nearly had to get my dress blues refitted.
I met great people in basic. Some I knew would have long careers; others, I was convinced, were headed straight for Leavenworth.
You mentioned gas mask training. We didn’t do that in basic either. But I taught it later when I was teaching wartime medicine. I taught 32 subjects—basically, how to do medicine in the field. I taught students how to put on and seal their gas masks, don their chemical warfare suits in the right order, and take everything off safely. After the classroom part, I’d run to the big shed and set up. I’d light the sterno, toss in a couple of tear gas capsules, let it build up, and meet the students outside. They had to go in sealed up, form a circle, remove their mask, recite their SS#, put the mask back on, and reseal it. Once everyone had their turn, we’d leave.
Vic,
I was hoping your would share some of your experiences and compare them with this series. Like you, I never experienced any of the sergeants overturning lockers and messing things up just for punishment for us to clean things up. I do very clearly remember a lot of yelling though. Insults and in particular the "F" word and not just "faggot" but FUCK. A lot of "Fucking Trainee!" I don't remember being called "ladies" though but it would have been appropriate with me and others that I suspected of.
Your experiences with the gay life was much more dramatic than mine. I never knew anyone else gay until I was in the service. I don't remember how we met but we just seemed to coalesce together. My two best friends, ow deceased, both dying in 2005, were another Ron and Sal. Sal was in the Air Force which was a barracks next to the Army barracks. In our group I'm sure were other gay guys but Ron and Sal were the only ones I was open with. Since I worked at NSA which had a strict NO GAYS policy, and they were regularly losing their clearances sometimes just on accusations, I am surprised I survived. Especially since I had a situation in which another fellow soldier let me "play around" with him, but never on base. I used to go home on the weekends (I only lived two hours away) and he was from Georgia and couldn't go home on weekends. I think he wanted oral sex (which I didn't do at that time, long story) but since he was stationed on an Alaskan Island for a year prior to his reassignment in Maryland where I was, he was used to getting serviced. He let me play around with him though, which was my first ever sexual contact with another man. That's about as dramatic as my gay activity was during my time in the Army. He died a few years ago, left a wife and two sons. He was my "first" and I will always remember him fondly.
What I really like about "Boots" was the individual stories. Every grouping of men, each one has a story. I always find that fascinating and especially on "Boots" because there is so much I can identify with.
Watching the "tear gas" episode today actually brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of my own disastrous encounter with tear gas. I had KP duty the night before and thus wasn't in the barracks for the training how to blow out the tear gas mask before putting it on. I almost died in that tear gas building. Choking and gagging. That episode really brought back those memories. But I survived and I'm here today. Much of the training in "Boots" we also did in Army basic training. The only thing we didn't do was the water. We did nothing with the water except maybe march through mud. Lots of running though. Wow, I couldn't do any of that today. Good thing I had my eighteen year old body those days to endure all that physical activity.
I'll watch the last two episodes of "Boots" tonight. I hope they have a second season. Thanks for you detailed comments. Very interesting.
Ron
Vic,
Our sergeants didn't turn over our bunks either or anything close to that. I think they went over the top in this series with that move.
Ron
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